Published 4:00 am, Sunday, August 24, 1997

Contrary to Frank's assessment, the group is emerging as an unlikely victor in the punk- rock footraces, proving itself a rare tortoise among an abundance of hares. While band after band left the Mr. T Experience in the dust during the punk frenzy of 1994 and '95, this unassuming band stoically plodded along, picking up fans one at a time.

With punk once again retreating into the underground after a short-lived revival, the plucky Mr. T Experience is set to release what is expected to be its best and most commercially viable CD. "Revenge Is Sweet, and So Are You," the group's eighth full-length album, will be in stores Tuesday.

Capitalizing on the surprise success of last year's "Love Is Dead" (which has sold an impressive 30,000 copies), the new album documents the further maturation of the group's adrenaline-charged kiddie pop. While the Mr. T Experience remains smitten with playground melodies and romper-room tempos, its musicianship has been whipped into shape by the rhythm tandem of bassist Joel Reader, 20, and drummer Jym, 27. (Both Jym's and Frank's surnames are closely guarded secrets.)

Guitarist-singer-songwriter Frank, 33, always drunk with words, also hit a hot streak for "Revenge Is Sweet," hammering out a reported 40 songs (15 made the cut) and producing his giddiest, most inventive lyrics.

"She's twice as high as I can climb/ That's why I only get to see her half the time," he sings, following the bouncing ball on "Here She Comes." Representative of the band's goofball love songs, it leads off the album.

"I've thought of leaving you, but where would that leave me?" he sings on another lyric-twisting ditty, "Lawnmower of Love."

"I haven't heard him write a bad song," says newcomer Reader. "There are always going to be some songs better than others, but just a flat-out bad song? Never."

'LOVABLE LOSER' IMAGE

Sipping a midafternoon martini in a Berkeley fern bar, Frank speaks in a halting, careful manner that belies his hopscotch singing voice. He says he believes the "lovable loser" image of the Mr. T Experience is actually the biggest part of the band's appeal.

"I think by most objective standards we still are (losers)," he says. "But by our standards, we're doing great."

For years, Frank admits, his band wallowed in obscurity. "It's frustrating to be in a band that nobody likes. For a long time that's exactly what we were.

"I always felt like I had to make all sorts of apologies -- to my band members, to my record label, to my family and friends. 'Hey, look, I know it's a stupid (band) name, and nobody ever goes to the shows, and nobody buys the records.'

"But for some reason I kept believing that I ought to do whatever I could to put the songs out. And that meant working with what you've got."

Part of what Frank has got is an enthusiastic if not technically proficient voice. "There are those who would say I have no business trying to be a singer," he says, peeling off his checked thrift-shop sport coat to reveal a T-shirt reading "Girl Scout Gone Bad." "I occasionally get letters from people who say they like my voice. I feel like I should cut those out and laminate them and keep them in my wallet, so I can say, 'Here is my license to sing, because 14-year- old Timmy in Wisconsin says he likes my voice.' "

But he's proudest of his songwriting. "A lot of people burn out and lose their edge. It's a frustrating thing -- not just for songwriters, but for anybody doing any kind of creative thing. Isaac Asimov wrote, like, a million books, but his only good one was his first one," he said.

"I don't think that's the case with me, but that's because I have such a negative outlook that I'm never pleased with what I do. But my songs now are way better than they used to be, certainly."

YEARS OF FUTILITY

Having weathered years of futility and numerous personnel changes -- six members have departed, Jym joined four years ago and Reader signed on shortly thereafter -- Frank is pleased to note that the band has finally won at least a modicum of respect.

"The last couple of years have been a turning point, where it seemed like it mattered what we did -- as opposed to the band being a big vanity project, which essentially was what it was for the first seven or eight years. The skepticism was pretty universal, so that's why it's such a dramatic turnaround now."

"Revenge Is Sweet" finds the group straying ever so slightly from its pure punk foundation. Joe Goldmark of the 10 Gallon Cats contrib utes pedal steel guitar to "Hell of Dumb," Frank runs through a ragged cover of the traditional warble "Some Foggy Mountain Top" and he goes acoustic for the feathery original "I Don't Need You Now."

"We've attempted some relatively ambitious things in the past, "but I was depressed and remorseful about the way they didn't quite come off," Frank said. "Now I see it as sort of charming -- to try to do such a grandiose conceptual thing as (1992's) 'Milk Milk Lemonade' on 30 bucks a song."

Despite the band's increasing profitability for Berkeley's Lookout! Records, which recently reissued the first three Mr. T Experience albums on CD, "Revenge Is Sweet" was recorded almost as cheaply as the rest of the band's catalog.

"Most real bands spend more on lunch than we spent on this record," Frank said.

And that's fine with him. "You don't have to be U2," Frank said. "You can be little and make a bunch of records, and it can still work. That's kind of cool."

MR. T EXPERIENCE

The band plays a record-release party with the Groovie Ghoulies and Pansy Division at 9 p.m. Friday at Slim's, 333 11th St., San Francisco. Tickets: $5 advance, $6 at the door. Call (415) 522-0333.